Is there a path forward for better support of newer hardware on desktop Linux?

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What you're asking is very difficult due to resources, creating new bugs etc. The reality is, go with true and trusted hardware. Linux can not possibly support every new shiny thing. That's Windows' job, because that's where the drivers are made for. And since it's difficult to install Linux drivers manually for most users, manufacturers don't bother with Linux at all. Especially, since Linus doesn't care about compatibility with older kernels as much as Windows does. Either support is in the kernel, or you'll experience problems.

Personally, all my laptops and PCs are more than 4 years old, for that reason. I often buy refurbished too. I write this in a refurbished Macbook Air from 2015, where I nuked MacOSX to run Linux Mint (with a binary broadcom wifi binary which is thankfully well supported by ubuntu). On my main PC, the only new thing I bought was an Intel gfx A- card, a 2 years old card, but I knew it had support before I bought it.

And even then, if it's some weird thing, e.g. some over-complicated sound capture device, gaming mouse with a thousand buttons, etc etc (in other words, non-standard hardware), don't expect great support for it, even if the years are passed. Stay with vanilla hardware to be compatible. If you had bought a 60 Hz 4k monitor, you wouldn't have had problems and you would have saved money. Personally, the only feature I look in monitors these days (apart from good color and enough ports), is that they are 32" instead of the usual 27", so that I don't have to use scaling (which creates yet another problem with Linux). I use 4k in its 100% resolution, fitting lots of windows in it, and not destroying my eyes because they're well visible.

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is there a future where this isn’t the case? And what would be required to get there?

Hardware manufacturers of companies in a position of power who leverage it. Like Valve.

Are we just waiting for them to give a shit?

Speak with your money. They won't care though, the linux market is minimal.

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the only feature I look in monitors these days

Not being smart.

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When i see a monitor having network hardware built in, on the spec sheet, i get very suspicious.

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I don't game, so it's smart. As long as I have the color I want (I used to shoot music videos for bands, so I'm into filmmaking), and enough ports, the only other thing that I need is to not scale. I don't need too much refresh rate, I don't need hdr, I don't need ethernet, I don't need webcams etc etc.

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Speak with your money.

This is tough to do when there's often not a functional alternative. Buying old motherboard stock and a non-HDR monitor isn't going to teach manufactures people want Linux support, they'll just think you are saving money / don't care about new features.

Without some sort of clear 'Linux Certified' system they can compare sales against, no hardware manufacturer is going to be able to recognize the 0.1% sales increase stemming from the time random internet volunteers fixed the open source implementation of their display drivers.

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Speak with your money.

This is tough to do when there's often not a functional alternative. Buying old motherboard stock and a non-HDR monitor isn't going to teach manufactures people want Linux support, they'll just think you are saving money / don't care about new features.

Without some sort of clear 'Linux Certified' system they can compare sales against, no hardware manufacturer is going to be able to recognize the 0.1% sales increase stemming from the time random internet volunteers fixed the open source implementation of their display drivers.

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In the last decade, I've had that sort of issue affect me twice:

I bought an AMD Vega 56 on launch day, and I had to run it with the proprietary driver for a while.
I recently upgraded my three monitors, and was having trouble getting them all to do the 1440p/100Hz they were rated for. After a bunch of fiddling with xrandr etc. and trying to add modelines and whatnot, it turned out the real problem was that I needed to upgrade from HDMI cables to DisplayPort ones.

Anyway, I guess the gist is that I wouldn't have expected Windows to do any better in either case.

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What do you do with 240hz on linux? I understand people who game on windows and need 240hz, is it even noticeable beyond 100hz when not gaming? Please elaborate

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I understand people who game on windows and need 240hz

I don't. Isn't this just a numbers game? Should be unnoticable for sensitive people above 100hz.

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That brings me to my question, is there a future where this isn't the case? And what would be required to get there?

Some kind of service where vendors can shove their propietary hacks of drivers in your face (as DKMS), like on Windows.

But nobody wants that.

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You assumed he won't game on linux???

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Obvious answer: “people who game on Linux and ‘need’ 240Hz”

Probably not that relevant when not gaming, just as on Windows.

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I think they mean “smart” as in “smart tv” i.e. spyware (at best)

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System76 sells desktops too. Not sure about Tuxedo.

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It's noticeable, and even reduces ghosting and motion blur.

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My old monitor was 165hz and I didn't expect the jump to be noticeable, but it actually was. It's definitely well beyond the point of diminishing returns (120 is fine imo), but it's still a nice upgrade.

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I game on Linux lol

is it even noticeable beyond 100hz when not gaming

Actually yes, honestly it's most noticeable when moving your mouse or dragging windows around. It's insanely smooth.

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Interesting. Maybe my next monitor should be 240hz. Now im currently running 100hz

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It's a chicken and the egg problem.

There needs to be enough market share for manufacturers to care; but then there need to be enough manufacturers to support for there to be enough support to allow the market share to exist.

Like Lemmy; the big guys like reddit and windows have to enshitify enough for people to realize that they're getting screwed for them to seek an alternative. Like bluesky, many will try mac, but that too will enshitify eventually; so we have to be patient and ready for them to eventually join us.

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Is there a path forward for better support of newer hardware on desktop Linux?